farrago

noun

far·ra·go fə-ˈrä-(ˌ)gō

-ˈrā-

plural farragoes

Synonyms of farrago next

: a confused mixture : hodgepodge

Did you know?

Farrago might seem an unlikely relative of farina (the name for the mealy breakfast cereal), but the two terms have their roots in the same Latin noun. Both derive from far, the Latin name for spelt (a type of grain). In Latin, farrago meant "mixed fodder"—cattle feed, that is. It was also used more generally to mean "mixture." When it was adopted into English in the early 1600s, farrago retained the "mixture" sense of its ancestor. Today, we often use it for a jumble or medley of disorganized, haphazard, or even nonsensical ideas or elements.

Examples of farrago in a Sentence

the shop is filled with a whimsical farrago of artwork, antiques, and vintage clothing

Recent Examples on the Web

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

His platform — a farrago of liberal and conservative views mashed up with a mess of conspiracy-laden pottage, isn’t easily categorized. —

Mark Z. Barabak, Los Angeles Times, 4 Apr. 2024 The Democratic party leader nevertheless teased that path to resolving the weeklong farrago. —

Ellie Quinlan Houghtaling, The New Republic, 24 Oct. 2023 National security cases, especially around the leaking of classified material, inevitably become farragoes of complex procedural rulings and limitations on defendants’ ability to launch a coherent defense. —

Jacob Silverman, The New Republic, 13 Apr. 2023 The picture, in short, is a farrago of nonsense. —

Barnaby Crowcroft, National Review, 26 Dec. 2020 See all Example Sentences for farrago